La Liga asks UEFA to investigate Man City over transfers

(FILE)Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola applauds the fans following the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 6, 2017.
Manchester City won the match 5-0. / AFP PHOTO / Oli SCARFF

The Spanish football league, La Liga, has asked European football’s governing body UEFA to open an investigation into whether big-spending Manchester City have breached Financial Fair Play regulations.

La Liga, outspoken over what it dubs “state-aided financial doping”, “is pleased that UEFA has opened a formal Financial Fair Play (FFP) investigation into Paris Saint-Germain. The investigation comes after La Liga formally requested such probes into PSG and Manchester City FC in August”.

La Liga made two requests on August 22 that UEFA probe PSG and City, laying out the financials of both clubs, which it argues have “no basis in the realities of the market. Specifically, both PSG and Man City benefit from sponsorships that make no economic sense and lack any fair value”.

La Liga president Javier Tebas added: “PSG is a habitual offender and has been violating UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations for years.

“It is important that UEFA doesn’t just look at the most recent player transfers, but at PSG’s history of non-compliance. The transfers are merely the result of years of financial doping at PSG.”

Tebas added: “PSG and Man City’s funding by state-aid distorts European competitions and creates an inflationary spiral that is irreparably harming the football industry.

“UEFA must enforce FFP regulations to avoid discrimination among clubs.”

Qatari-owned PSG have spent 380 million euros ($450.66m) to secure the services of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, while Man City, owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, have splashed more than £200 million (218m euros) on full-backs Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and Danilo, goalkeeper Ederson and attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva.

“La Liga calls on UEFA to proceed with its investigation, taking into account the full history of PSG’s actions. Additionally, La Liga calls on UEFA to open a similar investigation into Man City,” the association of Spain’s top football teams said in its statement.